Walking The Broken Road
by gothic antagonist
Summary: Booth said he had to move on...but Brennan never thought he would. She was wrong, and now she's left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. SPOILERS FOR THE 100TH EPISODE!
1. The Girlfriend

**A/N**- That 100th milestone episode was the greatest thing on television...and it broke my heart so badly. So, between the hours of 9 and 12 last night (I was crying too much and my stomach hurt too badly for me to try to sleep), I wrote this. I DO intend on making it a chapter-fic. So! Read it, and enjoy.

**WARNING:** You might cry. I did, but...that's because I hate seeing Emily so upset.

* * *

In all her years, she had never cried this badly. It was almost as if he had _died_, that's how horrible she felt. It had been three months since the man who had stolen her heart had tried to start a relationship with her, but it felt like just a moment ago. Why had she shot him down? "To protect him from my cold heart" was what she kept telling herself, but she knew it was a lie.

She wanted him. Oh, how she wanted him. She had been madly in love with her partner-in-crime ever since he had walked in on her lecture all those years ago. But...she was afraid of those feelings. She was afraid of loving him. She knew she couldn't open her heart the way he could.

The fact of the matter was, she just didn't deserve him. He needed to feel true love, the kind that she couldn't give him, despite her heart longing to do so. Yes, they completed each other. Yes, they were in love. But she was terrified of breaking his heart, so she had to tell him "no".

Unfortunately, he had gotten hurt anyway. She could see it in his eyes, and that pained her more than he could've possibly imagined. But what _really_ drove that dagger deep into her heart was when he had told her he had to move on. She didn't want him to! Every part of her being was screaming at him, trying to tell him to just give her some time! She just needed to learn how to love the way he deserved, the way she wanted to love him! But no, she had lost him. Forever. All because she was afraid of doing something stupid.

It was almost four in the morning. Temperance had spent most of the night crying again, and since she had to be at the Jeffersonian by eight, there was no point in trying to sleep now. Another night lost...

It wasn't until around eleven that morning that she finally saw him. He was even more beautiful than her tired, overworked brain had remembered. Those gorgeous brown eyes that glowed so brightly when he smiled made her go weak at the knees. Once again, she had to fight back tears when he spoke to her.

"Hey, Bones!" He smiled, just as she had been expecting. "Man, you look beat. Have you been sleeping?"

"No." There was no point in arguing with him; he'd know if she was lying anyway. "I've had too much to deal with."

"Like what?" The worry in his voice brought tears to her eyes.

She turned away and said, as calmly as she could: "Some things have been bothering me, that's all..." A few tears rolled down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. "Was there something you needed?"

"Do I always need a reason to want to talk to you?" His smile shone through the tone he used, causing her to smile too. His happiness was contagious: one thing she had always loved about him...

"No, I suppose not." She turned back to him, her eyes still shining with tears. "Do you want to go out for lunch? I haven't eaten anything yet."

He looked into her eyes and could tell she was crying. This clearly upset him. "Hey, hey...what's wrong, Bones?"

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Oh yeah, because Booth was going to let this go. Right.

He stood closer to her. So close, in fact, that one might think he was going to kiss her. He gently brushed her hair behind her ear. "I think you know me better than that, Bones."

She nodded. Indeed, she did. "I know," Tempe said softly. She hugged him, not at all surprised when she felt his arms wrap around her tightly. She wanted to feel the way she did in that moment for the rest of her life, but she knew it was only temporary. Her head rested gently on his shoulder.

"Bones, I-"

"Seeley!" a woman said happily from the doorway. She was about to walk in, but she saw them together and paused. "Am I...interrupting something?"

"Trixie! Oh no, you're fine." He let Brennan go, leaving her with an empty feeling again. "I didn't realize you were-"

"I had some break time so I figured I'd come and surprise you." She smiled again, then her eyes widened. "Get out. Is that Dr. Brennan?"

He smiled proudly. "Yep, the one and only! Trixie, this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. Bones, this is Trixie Jackson. She's my..." He paused, looking away.

"I'm his girlfriend," Trixie finished for him as she held her hand out. "Wow, it's such an honor to meet you! I've heard so much about you, Dr. Brennan."

Tempe felt like her heart would drop through the floor, even though she knew that was impossible. "Oh...well I've heard nothing about you."

Trixie laughed. "I figured as much. Seeley doesn't seem like the type to go on and on about his, well I mean he talks about _you_ a lot but...Oh, sorry." She smiled. "I tend to ramble when I'm nervous. I guess I should just leave you two to do your thing, huh?"

"Okay," Booth said, semi-grateful she was leaving. "I'll see you-"

"No, it's alright," Bones said suddenly. She crossed her arms. "How long have you two been dating?"

"Almost a month." Trixie smiled. "I can't believe it's really been a month already, either! By far, the best one of my life." She gazed lovingly at Booth, who in turn looked away from her. He seemed to find something on the wall very interesting.

Tempe wanted to grab Booth's gun and shoot this girl with it. Who the hell was _SHE_ to take her man away? "I...believe it. Booth is very good at pleasing a woman, and I don't necessarily mean sexually."

Booth grinned and looked at her. "Thanks, Bones!"

"Well, I don't want to keep you two from your jobs." Trixie smiled at them. "I'll see you later." She kissed him a bit deeply.

Brennan's fists clenched. If it was a war this girl wanted, it was a war she was going to get. In the back of her mind, she _knew_ Booth still loved her more. Three months was not enough time to get over the years they had spent beating the bush, or whatever the saying was. She felt like she wanted to scream. Or rip that girl's throat out. Or cry. She wasn't quite sure, but she could feel _some_ kind of emotion brewing inside her. Once Trixie had left, she could feel some of that brew leaking out of her.

"When were you going to tell me when you had someone? When you two were going to announce your engagement or something?"

Booth blinked. "It isn't a serious relationship, Bones-"

"Don't call me that." She crossed her arms, suddenly getting incredibly irritated.

"Why are you-"

"Look, I have things to do," she said quickly before she did something she'd regret. She grabbed her jacket and went for the door.

"Temperance-"

"Just drop it, Booth!" Now she was angry. "I don't want to listen to you right now. I have to go." She was gone before he could protest.

It was going to be another sleepless night for Temperance. But this time...the pain was worse. He really _had_ moved on...How was she going to accept that?

* * *

**A/N**- It should go without saying, but please don't forget to review! Your comments are what keeps me writing! :D


	2. The Confusion

**A/N**- I'm SO SORRY I haven't published in a while. My life has practically fallen apart and...well, I haven't been using much technology in a while. So...yeah. But hey, at least I have something up now, right? **:)**

So this chapter isn't very fluffy. I apologize. But in the future it will be **:)** We all know there's drama between them that has to be addressed first, before a serious relationship can occur. Hey, drama is what makes a good story **:D** I'm estimating about five or six more chapters of this. Not sure yet though. But yeah, it's far from over **:3**

* * *

Temperance Brennan was a strong woman. With what she had to go through as a teenager and the career path she decided on, she's seen and done things that you've only read about in books. She thought she'd be able to handle anything that life threw her way...until she saw the love of her life with another woman.

She cried, she screamed, and she cried some more inside her apartment late that night. It was close to two in the morning, and she had absolutely no desire to try to sleep. She had to figure out a way to be able to look that man in the eyes again so that no one would know. After all, if she didn't go back to normal soon, people would start to notice.

And by people, she meant Angela. Oh, who _knew_ what would happen if her best friend knew something was off?

She probably _did_ know. She _was_, after all, very good with people. It was a quality that the scientist had envied about her. Tempe wasn't that great with people. But...that's why she'd always had Booth around. He filled in her gaps. Sweets _had_ said that they complement each other, and she sure as hell knew he was right.

She sat down, exhausted from crying and the horrible sleep she'd been having for a few nights now, her eyes wandering around her room. She took in pictures of Angela, Hodgins, Cam...her heart winced slightly when she looked at Zack's picture, the day he had received his doctorate. He was smiling, something that she missed seeing. Right beside him, with his hand on the young man's shoulder, was Booth. He had been so sweet that day to do what he did for her. Er..._Zack_. It was Zack's day, not hers. Right.

She needed something to get her mind off of Booth, but everything in her apartment seemed to remind her of him. So without giving it much thought, she grabbed her purse and a jacket and headed out, unsure of where she'd go. One thing was certain: _anywhere_ was better than here.

* * *

Booth couldn't sleep. The look in his partner's eyes when she met his girlfriend was burned into his mind, haunting him as if he'd made a serious mistake. Of course, he _knew_ he'd made one, but hey, he needed to move on. If she didn't love him and had no intention of giving him a chance, why should he wait anymore? So what if she's his true love?

He sighed heavily. This was harder than he'd imagined it would be. What he would give to hold her in his arms right now...

He paced around for a little while, wondering what she was doing. He looked at the clock and sighed again. It was almost three already. So much for getting any sleep.

He sat down on his couch, thinking about the night he had begged her to give him a chance. She looked hopeful then, in contrast to what she had looked like earlier that day. There was a sparkle in her eyes, undeniable to him, that gave him some slight hope. He wanted to believe that one day, she would be his forever.

But until then, they'd have to figure out a way to cope with the dating game again. He wasn't sure how he'd do it, but he knew she'd be alright.

It was more _himself_ that he was worried about.

* * *

She sat in the park that morning, watching the sun come up and feeling slightly more at peace. Trees slowly lit up, as if tiny lights were turning on from between their leaves. She watched the city come to life as more cars appeared on the road and the whole area was bathed in a warm light. She closed her eyes and lifted her head when the sun fell on her face. The warmth felt good, she had to admit, but she couldn't stay there long. Sunrise meant she had to be at the Jeffersonian soon.

She stood up, brushed herself off, and began to run, leaving part of her broken heart on that lonely bench.

* * *

"Who's the new intern?" Angela nudged Hodgins later that morning. She was referring to the tall, vibrant red head on the forensic platform.

"Her? That's Isa Muller. She's the youngest intern we've had since Zack was around."

"Isa, huh? That's an interesting name."

"Dr. Brennan likes her, I think." Cam walked over to them and smiled. "She works diligently, I'll give her that."

"Where _is_ Dr. Brennan?" Isa walked over to them as she took her plastic gloves off. "I thought she was supposed to be in early this morning."

"I don't know," Angela answered, looking around. "I haven't heard from her since yesterday. Maybe she's just running behind."

"Perhaps...but without her, I don't know what else I can do." Isa looked at Cam. "What do you want me to do?"

"Sorry I'm late, guys." Tempe walked in hurriedly, making a beeline for her office. The others followed her, Isa leading the pack.

"That's alright," she said gently, noticing almost immediately how stressed she was. "Is everything okay, Dr. Brennan?"

"What?" She spun around after hanging up her jacket, as if she had heard something completely different. "What did you say?"

"Are you alright?" she repeated, her green eyes clouded with worry now.

"Oh. Yes. I just haven't been sleeping well." She shrugged it off as if it were nothing. "So have you determined cause of death yet?"

"Yes, I've left all of my notes right there on your desk."

"Sweetie, maybe you should relax a bit," Angela suggested, clearly concerned for her best friend's health.

"I agree with Angela," Cam said. "Isa and I can take it from here."

Isa smiled softly. "Actually, Dr. Saroyan, I'd like to stay with her. There's really nothing else I can do until she goes over my notes."

"Ms. Muller is right." Temperance sat down on the couch with Isa's notes in hand.

"Well...okay. Let me know if you need anything," Angela said as she and Cam walked out.

Isa sat beside her, watching her expression as she carefully reviewed the folder. "What do you think?"

"You did a very good job, but..."

"But?"

She closed the folder and sighed, rubbing her temples. "I apologize, Ms. Muller-"

"Please, Dr. Brennan, call me Isa."

She looked at her. "I haven't been in the right mindset lately."

"I understand." She gently touched her hand. "Life doesn't wait for anyone. If there's something you think you need to handle and you can't be here, I get it. But...call me if you need something, okay? I know I'm only an intern but...wow, I don't want to sound like Daisy." She chuckled a bit, her short hair dancing as her body shook. "I'll quit before I enter that zone."

Tempe smiled softly. "It's alright. Thank you."

"May I ask you one thing?"

"What?"

Isa looked at her hands for a moment. "Does it have to do with Agent Booth?"

Brennan sighed heavily and rubbed her temples again-a dead give-away.

"Perhaps...you and I could go to dinner after work tonight? You can tell me all about it if you'd like."

"I'll think about it."

"Hey, Bones, you're finally in?" Speak of the devil.

Isa smiled brightly. "I'll see you later then, Dr. Brennan." She glanced at Booth for a moment, then hurried out. Like all of the others, Isa knew when she wasn't wanted. Something was about to go down between the two...something big.

Tempe turned away from him, quickly realizing that she wasn't going to be able to handle being near him yet. She was afraid of doing something irrational. "What do you want, Booth?"

"...Have you been avoiding me?"

"No, I came in late. Why, do you take my tardiness as a personal attack?"

"Bones, please. I've been your partner for-"

"I _know_ how long we've been partners, Booth." She grabbed her jacket and put it on quickly. "_My_ question is: do _you_ know?"

Booth blinked. "Where did this come from?"

"I've put more of myself into this _partnership_ than you give me credit for," she continued. "It may not seem like it, but at times I value our relationship more than I value anything else." She looked away for a moment, then met his warm yet genuinely confused brown eyes once again. "So...no more secrets, okay?"

Seeley just stared at her, unable to speak. At first, he thought she was going to rip his head off, but the sadness in her tone as she spoke now made him feel wretched. What was worse - he couldn't explain _why_.

Tempe turned to her desk as tears rolled down her face again. "I have work to do, Booth, so if you didn't come for a specific reason-"

"Trixie wanted to know if you would go to dinner with us on Friday night. It's her birthday and she wants to go to a karaoke bar. I had told her about when you sang "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and she thought it'd be fun for you to get out and spend some time with us."

She had to smile at that. He made it sound so innocent, like going out with him and his _girlfriend_ was no big deal. Ha.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Booth."

"Why not? It's just a bar. Besides, you could bring the house down if you sang again."

She smiled wider. "True. Okay, I'll go."

"Great!" He smiled happily and clapped his hands together. "So I'll pick you up around eight, then?"

"Sounds...good."

* * *

**A/N**- I like drama. It's a guilty pleasure that I'm sure some of you have as well. That being said, I have some ideas for chapter three that I think you guys are going to like! **:)**


End file.
